I've got a couple of other Moritakas in AS, and this was the first I've tried in blue #2. I thinned it a little and freshened up the edge, but didn't spend a whole lot of time with it -- it's currently on loan to snowbrother, whose kit was stolen from work. My initial sense, though, was that it felt a bit softer than their AS, but not dramatically so. The more significant difference is that it's a bit thicker behind the edge than my other Moritakas (esp. my nakiri, which takes and holds an amazingly acute edge). Between that and the steel, it should be a pretty sturdy knife.
Snowbrother may have more thoughts about it, since he's currently using it in a commercial kitchen.